Head-rest for beds.



PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

J. D. SMOGK. HEAD REST FOR BEDS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1905.

awve ntoz ym-bummer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HEAD-REST FOR BEDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1 b6 'hmlicatiou filed Janna" 9. 1905. Serial No. 240,225.

To (Ll/Z w/Mmt it may concern:

Be it known that I, JASPER D. SMooK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of In diana, have invented a new and useful Head- Rest for Beds, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in head-rests for beds.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of head-rests for beds, and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive attachment designed particularly for use on metal beds and adapted to enable a person reclining upon abed to be. raised to a sitting or any reclining position with little effort on the part of the attendant or the patient.

A further object of the invention is to provide a head-rest attachment of this character having simple locking means adapted to retain the head-rest in its adjusted position, and arranged within easy reach of a patient or other occupant to permit the attachment to be released when it is desired to change the adjustment of the same.

The invention also has for its object to arrange the lifting mechanism and the spring below the mattress and to increase the lifting power and to prevent any part from projecting above the mattress.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, pro portion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a head-rest constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a bed. Fig. 2 is a detail view illustrating the arrangement of the tension device and the manner of securing the supports to the corner-posts of the foot of the bed.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings.

1 designates a substantially rectangular head-rest consisting of a frame and suitable wires 2, which extend across the frame and which may be arranged in any desired manner, as will be readily understood. The frame of the head-rest is composed of two sides and a transverse portion connecting the upper or outer ends of the sides, the inner or lower ends of the same being pivoted to sup ports 3 by bolts 4 or other suitable fastening devices, whereby the head-rest is adapted to be swung upward from a horizontal to an inclined position. The supports 3 consist of bars extending longitudinally of the bed from the head-rest to the foot of the bed and provided at their inner ends with vertical arms or portions 5, which are secured to the side rails 6 of the bed by clips 7 The clips 7, which are substantially U-shaped, embrace the side rails and pierce the arms 5, being provided on the exterior thereof with nuts. The outer ends of the bars of the supports 3 are secured to the corner-posts 8 at the foot of the bed by clips 9, which embrace the legs or lower portions of the corner posts, as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings. The clips 9, which conform to the configuration of the lower portions of the corner-posts, pierce the supports 3 and are provided with nuts for engagement with the same. By means of the clips the attachment may be quickly applied to a bed without altering the construction thereof. The longitudinal portions of the supports are spaced from the side rails of the bed, and their inner portions are inclined downwardly toward the lower ends of the vertical arms or portions 5.

The hinged head-rest 1 is connected near its upper or free end by depending links 10 with levers 11, composed of long and short arms, the long arms being arranged parallel with the sides of the frame of the hinged head-rest and pivoted to the support and to the links by rivets 12 and 13 or other suitable fastening devices. The links 10 are pivoted at their upper ends 14 to the sides of the frame of the hinged head-rest, and the short arms 15 of the levers extend upwardly and inwardly at an acute angle to the long arms 11. This angle is preferably about forty-five degrees, and the upper ends of the short arms, which are spaced from the sides of the hinged head-rest, are connected with coiled springs 16 by wire cables 17 or other suitable flexible connections. .The springs, which extend longitudinally of the bed and which are located below the frame of the side rails, are also connected by wire cables 18 with a transverse Windlass shaft 19. The Windlass shaft 19,

' of the bed or an attendant.

which is journaled in suitable bearings and which is mounted on the supports 3, carries a ratchet-wheel 20, and it is adapted to receive a removable crank-handle 21 or other suitable means for rotating it. The ratchetwheel 20 is engaged by a pawl 22, which holds the shaft 19 against retrograde rotation. The shaft and the ratchet mechanism constitute a tension device for maintaining the springs at the proper tension. The bearings of the shaft are preferably formed in plates 23, which are suitably secured to the supports 3.

The flexible connection 17 passes through guides 24, consisting of links pivoted at their lower ends to the long arms of the levers 11 adjacent to the supports 3 and extending upward from the said levers and provided at their upper ends with guide-eyes for the flexible connection 17. If desired, any suitable antifriction device may be employed at the guides.

The springs are adjusted, by means of th tension device heretofore described, to suit the weight of the patient or occupant, and when properly adjusted they will enable the hinged head-rest to be raised or lowered with little effort on the part of either the occupant The head-rest after adjustment may be locked by means of a bar 25, pivoted at one end to the head-rest and provided at intervals with notches 26 for engaging a projection or lug 27 on an extension 5 of one of the arms 5 of the supports. The lockingbar may be pivoted by a rivet 28 or any other suitable fastening device, and the lug or projection 27 extends from the inner faces of the upper end of the extension 5. When a hair or other mattress is placed upon the bed, the head-rest and the parts for supporting and locking the same will be located below the supporting-surface of such mattress and entirely out of the way. The lockinglever, however, is within easy reach, and is adapted to be swung upward for releasing the head-rest.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising a hinged head-rest, a lever arranged in parallelism with the head-rest and connected with the same, and yieldable means connected with the lever for supporting the head-rest in an inclined position.

2. A head-rest attachment for beds, com prising a hinged head-rest, a lever spaced throughout the entire length from the headrest and connected therewith and provided with an arm, and yieldable means connected with the arm for supporting the head-rest.

3. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising a hinged headrest, a lever arranged in spaced relation therewith and provided with an angularly-disposed arm extending upwardly from the lever, a link connecting the lever with thehead-rest, and yieldable means connected with the arm of the lever for supporting the head-rest.

4. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising a hinged head-rest, a lever located beneath and arranged in spaced relation with the head-rest and provided at one end with an arm, a guide connected with the lever and located near the other end of the same,means for connecting the lever with the head-rest, and a yieldable device having a flexible connection passing through the guide and attached to the arm of the lever.

5. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising a support, a hinged head-rest mounted on the support, a lever fulcrumed on the support and arranged in spaced relation with the head-rest and provided at its outer end with an arm, a link connecting the outer end of the lever with the head-rest, a guide extending upwardly from the inner portion of the lever, a flexible connection attached to the arm of the lever and passing through the guide, a spring connected with the said flexible connection, and a tension device.

6. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising a support having an upwardly-extending arm, a head-rest hinged to the arm between the ends thereof, and a locking-bar pivoted to the head-rest and provided at intervals with means for engaging the arm.

7. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising supports, consisting of longitudinal bars having upwardly-extending arms, means for securing the supports to a bed, a hinged head-rest mounted on the arms of the support, operating-levers arranged in spaced relation with the head-rest and located beneath the same, means for connecting the levers with the head-rest, springs, flexible connections extending from the springs to the levers and a tension device mounted on the support and connected with the springs.

8. A head-rest attachment for beds, comprising a headrest hinged at one end, a lever arranged in spaced relation with the headrest and pivoted at one end beneath the hinged end of the said head-rest, a link lo cated at the other end of the lever and connecting the same with the head rest, and means connected with the lever for supporting the head-rest.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JASPER D. SMOCK.

Witnesses:

JONATHAN WARD, CHAnLEs G. GALLAGHER. 

